Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Windows 10 vs Windows Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Windows 10
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
269
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Windows Server
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
182
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Windows 10 is 3.9%, down from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Windows Server is 9.4%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

Darko Borovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 30, 2024
Easy to use and has good features like control panel, system settings, and backup
Windows 10 is mostly used in our production system. We are a TV station with some software depending on an operating system. This software won't be able to start or manage in other operating systems. We were forced to use Windows 10. Since we updated that software, we switched to Windows 11…
Dan Campeanu - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 12, 2024
Supports various hardware interfaces and offers excellent value for money
Windows Server was crucial for our business as it offered scalability, allowing us to seamlessly upgrade servers as our company expanded rapidly. It served as the backbone for all our tools and applications, providing a unified platform for our operations. Windows Server's security features have significantly improved our IT security posture. While occasional vulnerabilities arose, Microsoft promptly addressed them, providing clear instructions on mitigation. Consequently, we have had no security incidents in over 20 years, thanks to proactive measures and effective security management. Managing Windows Server in a multi-server environment used to be relatively easy, but in recent years, it has become increasingly challenging due to the removal of useful tools and Microsoft's focus on cloud services. Integrating Windows Server with Azure was initially challenging due to limited documentation and some synchronization issues, but it became smoother over time with the help of user experiences and shared knowledge. Integration with AWS for specific tasks was less problematic. I would recommend Windows Server to others. Overall, I would rate it as a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I like that it's stable and secure."
"The most valuable feature is the set of multiple applications that are available."
"The solution has been issue-free."
"Setting up Windows 10 is pretty straightforward and takes about 30 minutes."
"The most valuable feature is how friendly the interface is. I expect that we will soon go up to Windows 11 because it's already available."
"The customization of the solution is easy."
"When it's new it's very fast."
"Windows setup isn't very complicated. Mostly, we have someone proficient in Windows to do our installations."
"The features that I have found most valuable are its ease of use and the compatibility with most other products."
"I like that the solution is reliable."
"Its performance is very good, and it is stable. All applications are working perfectly, and there is no issue."
"I like that it's simple and the users are happy."
"The solution is scalable."
"The scalability is okay."
"This solution is very user friendly, easy to use for any system administrator, simple to deploy applications, has a wide range of applications available, great UI, and takes less technical skills to operate than some other competitors."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, security, and that it is easy to use."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, the tool gives a blue screen without any reason, and then I have to restart the system."
"After some time it becomes slower. The performance seems to be affected after a while."
"I want a more stable version of the Linux interface that you can use within Windows 10."
"I would just recommend that they focus more on security."
"The solution could improve by providing web applications and have Windows 10 on Azure as a virtual machine."
"The updates are not user-friendly."
"It would be valuable for Windows to have an MDM feature to deploy applications remotely to it natively, such as the Jamf solution for Apple."
"It could benefit from more integration."
"The Windows server image was quite large and took some time to be installed."
"Windows Server could improve its integration with cloud and hybrid environments to better adapt to modern computing needs."
"The solution could improve by being more user-friendly."
"The solution is rather expensive and could be more affordable."
"The cost to use the solution is quite high."
"The security could improve. If you are comparing the Linux operating systems and Windows Server, Windows Server is still way behind in terms of security. Microsoft can enhance security instead of having customers rely on third-party security tools."
"Its updates need to be faster, so that's an area for improvement."
"Could use more features and more functionality."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s licensing wasn’t expensive."
"We don't spend anything for the license."
"The basic operating system of any hardware should be free. Therefore, it should be free. They should charge only for the enterprise level or enabling the hypervisor. They should charge for Professional Windows 10, but the basic OS should be free."
"When we purchase a new machine, it comes with it, and we don't pay separately for the license."
"We pay for an annual license."
"I believe there is an agreement with Microsoft to pay the licensing fee yearly."
"It's not cheap, and it's one of the inconveniences. Most of the time, we use group licensing, permitting us to install servers for three months. When we want to have personal licenses, it costs too much here in Senegal."
"There is a license required for this solution."
"It could be cheaper. Its licensing is on a yearly basis."
"There are no fees involved in the solution."
"Our licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Our customers prefer lifetime licenses."
"We pay a license to use Windows Server."
"Windows Server needs to be more flexible with the minimum requirements with the license and options. We are on an annual subscription to use the solution."
"Microsoft is relatively inexpensive compared to other database platforms."
"There is a license needed for this solution."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Operating Systems (OS) for Business solutions are best for your needs.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

NC
Nov 21, 2021
Nov 21, 2021
Windows Server integrates well with all Microsoft and many other mainstream solutions. Building a Failover Cluster is comparatively much easier in Windows Server than with other solutions. We really like the ease of use, stability, and performance of this solution. You get a good active directory that offers consistently evolving features that scales easily. Windows Server supports more memory ...
See 2 answers
Shibu Babuchandran - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 22, 2021
Hi @Netanya Carmi ​, Key Differences Between a Windows Server and a Windows Desktop Here are the key differences between a Windows server and a Windows desktop. 1. Windows Server Supports More Memory One of the main differences between a Windows server and desktop is the amount of memory each can support. A desktop running Windows 10 Enterprise has a 4 GB memory limit on an X86 and a 2TB limit on an X64. These numbers are greatly increased depending on the Windows server version. You can view the memory limitations for the Windows and Windows server releases on the Microsoft Developer site. 2. Windows Server Uses CPUs More Efficiently In general, a server OS is more efficient at using its hardware than a desktop OS, especially a CPU; therefore, if you install Alike on a server OS, you are taking full advantage of the hardware installed on your server, which also allows Alike to offer optimal performance. 3. More Network Connections Allowed on a Windows Server With a desktop version of Windows, network connections are limited to 10-20. A Windows server is not locked down to just 20 network connections; therefore, a Windows server can support well beyond 20 network connections based on your hardware’s capability. 4. The Server OS is Configured for Background Tasks By default, server editions of the Windows OS are configured to give priority to background tasks and services, whereas the desktop editions focus on foreground. While priority can be changed, the desktop edition’s management does not yield the same performance results.
Nov 21, 2021
Windows Server integrates well with all Microsoft and many other mainstream solutions. Building a Failover Cluster is comparatively much easier in Windows Server than with other solutions. We really like the ease of use, stability, and performance of this solution. You get a good active directory that offers consistently evolving features that scales easily. Windows Server supports more memory and uses CPUs more efficiently. Windows Server requires a lot of monthly maintenance with vulnerability management. From a security aspect, this should be improved. We would like to see a command-line version of Windows Server. Overall this solution can be very expensive. One popular feature of Windows 10 is its connectivity with mobile devices and ability to make cabless connections with external devices. Windows 10 has improved functionality and better integration between the networks and Windows 10 core system. The new subsystem for Linux is great. Windows 10 also offers a very good gaming option. which many of our team members thoroughly enjoy. It is a very stable solution with flexible scalability. Windows 10 gets a lot of updates and the automatic updates have caused some problems with our team, resulting in losing files or work. There are instances where updates have caused system crashes and failures. The process needs to be tweaked a bit. The enterprise version has many options, like games that are really intended for home use. The install process can be a bit complex and takes a lot of time to deploy. Windows 10 is a very expensive solution. Conclusion: These are both great solutions by an industry leader. Windows Server is a very robust and powerful on-premises hardware. We were looking to really step up our connections and Windows 10 can only handle about 10 or 20 connections, whereas Windows Server can handle an excess of 50,000 connections. We also needed more memory and more power. Windows10 Pro offers 2TB of RAM, while Windows Server can go to 24TB. Windows Server hardware can also handle more cores and processors; it has 64 sockets to Windows 10’s 2 sockets. Windows Server is the best solution for our organizational needs.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Windows 10?
Windows versions before 2016 had a lot of stability problems. When cybersecurity teams tested these devices or operating systems, we found many vulnerabilities to exploit. That's why if I could mak...
What is your primary use case for Windows 10?
We use the solution as an operating system.
What needs improvement with Windows Server?
Active Directory should have groups and policies. It could probably provide a better overview of how Active Directory is built.
What is your primary use case for Windows Server?
We use the solution for deployments, troubleshooting, Active Directory policies, and Windows patching.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rakuten, Rackspace, Tyco
Find out what your peers are saying about Windows 10 vs. Windows Server and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.